This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for applying liquid to textile fabrics.
In textile finishing and allied processes it is recognised that it is desirable to limit as much as possible the amount of liquid put into the fabric, say, for example, when impregnating the fabric with finishing agents such as synthetic resins with a view to reducing drying costs and conserving energy.
Many attempts have been made to reduce the quantity of liquid applied but one of the difficulties encountered is in distributing small quantities uniformly across the width of fabric. The droplet size is critical because the portion of the fabric coming into contact with the droplet absorbs all the liquid in the droplet, the adjacent areas of the fabric receiving no liquid at all. This is because fabric will absorb, in most cases, up to its own weight in liquid whereas the desired amount of liquid to be applied is usually 30% or less of the fabric weight.
One method of achieving the desired liquid intake limitation is to overcome the surface tension of the liquid thereby reducing the droplet size and obtaining a wider and more uniform distribution of liquid across the width of the fabric.